Day 45, Recipe 61: Pasta Aglio e Olio

Back with a bang? not really 🙂 but this one is for all my friends who do not want to go crazy cooking in the kitchen and literally want to get in and get out!! Presenting the healthiest and quickest pasta recipe of them all!!

Recipe 61 (thats right, slow and steady will somehow win the race :)) : Pasta Aglio e Olio 

What you need:

1/2 cup Spaghetti or any other shaped pasta

Salt to taste

3 cloves garlic, minced

1-2  tsp extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch red pepper flakes

1 tsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 lemon, zested, optional

Veggies of your choice (I just added some mushrooms and red bell pepper)

How to make it “pasta-like”:

The greatest thing about this recipe is that its a pasta which is pretty much like a salad so it takes little effort once you have the pasta boiled and ready.

1. Heat the oil and add in the garlic and seasoning (except parsley)

2. Add in the veggies and cook for 1-2 minutes. (Though the traditional recipe does not include veggies but I feel it makes it a lot more filling and hey!! they are great for your health too 🙂 ).

3. Mix in the boiled pasta. Make sure you have saved some of the stock from the pasta and add it the pan while mixing in the pasta, this gives the the pasta that extra starch and binds the recipe together and makes it thick and saucy (and this applies to all pasta recipes). Once its all mixed up, turn off the heat.

4. Sprinkle the parsley and lemon zest and give it a good stir and you are good to go.

Time spent in Kitchen: 5-10 mins (once the pasta is boiled)

Price range of the total cost of all ingredients: INR 100-150